Mongoose Pinnr Foreman: In-Depth Review, Performance on Two Wheels

The Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman is a downhill mountain bike developed around 2008. Mongoose developed two bikes in the Pinn'r range; the Foreman and the Apprentice.

Around 2008 there weren't anywhere near as many downhill MTB options as there are now. Mongoose developed some great technology for freeride and downhill mountain bikes around this time.

Mongoose History and Information

 Photo by mongoose.com

Mongoose, a renowned brand in the cycling industry, has a rich history that spans several decades. Established in 1974, Mongoose has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation and design, catering to the diverse needs of cyclists worldwide.

Starting out of the home of Skip Hess in Simi Valley, California, Mongoose started producing their cycling components. The first product was the Motomag One Wheel. From there they expanded to around 85 employees, creating over 600 BMX frames per day at their largest manufacturing plant.

After their initial expansion, 1985 came and the company was sold to the American group, who marketed the products through their Service Cycle subsidiary.

A decade later Bell Sports [], the helmet manufacturer, bought American Group and sold off some of the areas of the company. Mongoose was thus sold to Brunswick Outdoor Recreation Group a couple of years later.

Pacific Cycle, the huge cycling conglomerate, bought Mongoose from Brunswick after only 3 years. After a series of mergers and sales through the 2000s and Mongoose is still owned by Pacific Cycle.

Pinn'r Foreman Product Information

For the time the Pinn'r Foreman was released, it was a pretty generic design. Having said that, you wouldn't see many DH bikes with a similar frame design these days.

If you take a look at the parts list below you'll see how well Mongoose has picked the parts for this very well. They haven't held back and it looks like they've definitely targeted a higher-end rider. I love the RockShox Totem forks and the Avid Code brakes. These impressive parts do come at a cost though. The selling price is quite high.

Again, these high-quality parts remove any real need for upgrades. Throughout my testing and research, I think the only part riders commonly look to change is the rear spring. It's a good quality RockShox Vivid 5 but the fact it's a spring and quite a rigid shock will put a few people off.

Having an odd frame shape like this makes it hard to tell how the bike will feel to the pedal, especially seated. The bike is actually quite easy to ride uphill or for long periods. It's never going to be like an enduro bike but you're not going to need to get off and push on very many hills.

I think a big part of this is in the front-end setup. The RockShox Totem[] doesn't have the super long stanchions like a lot of downhill mountain bikes. Steering is severely restricted with those forks and the front end is generally much higher.

Going downhill and over jumps feels very stable on the Mongoose Pinn'r. Make sure you've set the bike up to your size and riding style but after that, I've only heard good things about the ride quality even after repeated large jumps.

"FreeDrive" suspension is a big thing on the Pinn'r mountain bike. It's not rocket science, it's a tweaked version of a tried-and-true single pivot suspension setup, made better with a link and rocker arm for extra finesse.

FreeDrive starts with a sky-high main pivot, attached to one solid swingarm at the back. Things get a bit clever down near the bottom bracket. The BB floats on the same link that kicks the shock into gear and hooks up with the swingarm via a tiny link. This smart trick cuts down on any chain stretching caused by the high main pivot.

Mongoose's Darren Salsbury chatted about FreeDrive: "The cool thing about FreeDrive is that it doesn't care what chain ring size you're using, the suspension acts the same way. That's a major win over other designs fitted with HammerSchmidt. Some bikes are designed around a middle chain ring spot, and the HammerSchmidt's little 24T would freeze theirs. Not ours—it's free to move!"

Frequently Asked Questions

Has the Mongoose Pinnr Foreman Been Discontinued?

Yes, the Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman was discontinued after 2010.

How much is a 2010 Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman?

This bike cost around $3,900 when it was sold back in 2010. You can still buy them second-hand with a price between $1,000 and $2,000.

Where to buy a 2010 Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman?

This model has been discontinued so there aren't any retailers stocking the product. You may be able to purchase one second-hand or directly from Mongoose.

What size wheels does the 2010 Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman have?

The 2010 Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman has 26" wheels​.

What size 2010 Mongoose Pinn'r Foreman should I get?

Similar to most downhill mountain bikes, the Pinn'r Foreman was manufactured in small, medium and large. You can use the chart below to check which size would be best for you.

• 5'2” - 5'6” - Small
• 5'6” - 5'10” - Medium
• 5'10” - 6'1” - Large

Dyno VFR Review